Held annually, the goal of Community-Driven Research Day is to connect the diverse needs of city agencies and community-based organizations with the valuable research conducted at universities throughout the city of Baltimore.

Traditionally, research activities are generated from the literature and funding priorities. Community-Driven Research Day provides a mechanism for the community to have a greater role in the research process, one in which Baltimore City organizations elevate their needs and identify the activities that would benefit from the support of researchers. This event provides an opportunity to match the skills of the local research community with community-defined research needs.

The Faith-Community-Hopkins Forums bring together faith leaders, community based organizations, academic deans, and neighborhood residents for candid discussions about issues affecting East Baltimore.

As a result of these open discussions:

Johns Hopkins Medicine has launched The Access Partnership (TAP), which provides residents living in a geographically defined area surrounding Johns Hopkins Hospital with comprehensive health services independent of insurance status. More

The UHI joined efforts with Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and YouthWorks—a city campaign to connect Baltimore City youth with summer jobs—to expand the Summer Jobs Program at Johns Hopkins. The goal of the Summer Jobs Program is to provide meaningful summer employment opportunities for high school students in Baltimore. The program was launched by the Office of Community Education Programs at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1994 with about 25 participants and increased steadily each year. In 2009, the UHI and the Office of the Provost provided support to expand this important program to Johns Hopkins University.Johns Hopkins to Fund 250 Youth in Summer Jobs Program (JHU Gazette, May 4, 2009)

The UHI has established the Henrietta Lacks Memorial Award to honor exceptional collaborations between community-university partners working together to improve the health and well-being of the city of Baltimore. The Award, named in recognition of Henrietta Lacks, will carry with it a monetary gift to the community entity that is the central partner in that relationship.

This inaugural award of $15,000 highlights the importance of community-university collaborations, recognizes the accomplishments which can be achieved by such partnerships, and continues to support the efforts of the partnership.

Henrietta Lackswas an East Baltimore resident and cervical cancer patient in the early 1950s at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where cells taken from her tumor became the first “immortal” human cells grown in culture and led to breakthroughs in cell research related to cancer, AIDS, the effects of radiation and more. Mrs. Lacks’ family was unaware that her cells, now known worldwide as ‘HeLa’ cells, had been used for research until more than twenty years after her death. This award honors Mrs. Lacks and her family and in intended to be an enduring reminder of her contribution to medical science and to her community.